REGION: Thousands mourn slain Riverside police officer

Ryan Bonaminio was an Iraq war veteran who once survived an
attack on the dilapidated building where his Army company was
serving.

But death came for the 27-year-old not on a battlefield, but in a
park in his hometown.

The former military policeman was gunned down just miles from his
childhood home after taking a civilian job as a police officer in
the Southern California town where he grew up. He was beaten with a
metal weight bar and shot with his own service weapon after
pleading for his life, authorities said.

Thousands of officers in uniform from across the state descended
upon Grace Community Church on Tuesday to pay homage to Bonaminio,
who enlisted in the Riverside Police Department after tours in
Germany and Iraq. Bonaminio killed Nov. 7 after chasing a suspect
in a truck theft down a dark path and into a park, authorities
said.

Mourners focused on Bonaminio's life of service as they spoke at a
podium positioned above his flag-draped coffin, which was brought
into the Riverside church by a police honor guard.

Huge photos of Bonaminio, including one in his uniform, hovered
over the stage, flanked by rows of seated brothers-in-arms. The
dimly lit church was packed with officers and hundreds more watched
the service on a giant screen in a grassy lot next door while
sitting on folding chairs under the blazing sun.

Police from other cities worked in Riverside on Tuesday so the
department could attend the memorial.

Military colleagues hailed Bonaminio's service as a police officer,
both in Riverside and as part of the Army's 314th Military Police
Company, where he earned the nickname "Bondo" because his sergeant
got fed up with his long last name.

He was always upbeat and boosted other soldiers' spirits, despite
sweltering temperatures in Iraq and sleeping in the sand for days
on end without showers, his fellow soldiers said.

"I never understood it, but if you've ever met Ryan, you understand
it. That was his way, to support me, to support the other troops
that were there," Doug Spencer said of Bonaminio's smile. Spencer
served with him in Iraq in 2003 and carpooled with him to weekend
training sessions before deployment.

"We made a pact. The pact was to come home alive, to watch each
other's backs, to help with everything -- just to cope with
everything over there. Having Ryan by my side in Iraq is what
brought me home," he said.

Fellow soldier Brook Marshall recalled running into Bonaminio while
racing out of his room in Iraq under mortar fire one night seven
years ago. Bonaminio, he said, cracked a joke at the red and blue
shorts Marshall was wearing and cursed his own choice of footwear:
flip-flops that slapped on the stairwell as they ran.

"Even in the midst of a mortar attack Ryan was able to maintain his
sense of humor," Marshall said, reading from a journal he kept in
Iraq. "No matter how bad the situation was, Ryan always made the
best of it."

Once Bonaminio returned, he enlisted in the Riverside police force,
something he had always planned to do.

Police who knew him lauded his courage, dedication, humility and
his commitment to the community where he grew up. Chief Sergio Diaz
urged the other officers to follow their fallen colleague's example
and never forget his sacrifice.

"Ryan has taught us how to live," Diaz said, choking back tears.
"Today we bury Ryan's physical body, tomorrow we take the mourning
bands off our badges and we will get on with our work. And it will
be a shame on us if we pass on the opportunity to be inspired by
Ryan's example."

Green will be arraigned next month after he is evaluated by a
psychotherapist.

Prosecutors say Green fled from Bonaminio when he was pulled over
in a stolen big-rig and lured the officer into a park. Green then
beat Bonaminio with a weight bar, stole his service weapon and
fired on Bonaminio as he pleaded for his life, District Attorney
Rod Pacheco said.

Green, of Rubidoux, could be eligible for the death penalty if
convicted.

Bonaminio was born and raised in Riverside, a city of 300,000
people about 60 miles east of Los Angeles.

The avid hiker and Anaheim Ducks hockey fan is survived by a
sister, brother and parents, who thanked the officers for the
outpouring of support and urged them to wear their badge with
pride.

In a soft-spoken voice, Bonaminio's mother Geraldine said she
imagines her son looking down on the crowded church and humbly
asking if all this was really for him.

"And as I look out my window, and I see a black and white rolling
by," she said, "I know Ry is still protecting me."